Sanitary butter cutter



March 7, 1950 D. c. LUTZ SANITARY BUTTER CUTTER 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 28, 1947 INVENTOR. Domid tiyde jug.

ATTCI RN EYE March 7, 1950 D. c. LUTZ 2,499,660

SANITARY BUTTER CUTTER Filed Jan. 28, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATI'D R N EYE R. ramzd @4317 March 7, 1950 D. c. LUTZ SANITARY BUTTER CUTTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 28, 1947 ATTU R N EYS March 7, 1950 D. c. LUTZ 2,499,660

SANITARY BUTTER CUTTER Filed Jan. 28, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I N VEN TOR.

17021011 gdaliuz g.

ATTD R N EYS Patented Mar. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SANITARY BUTTER CUTTER Donald Clyde Lutz, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 28, 1947, Serial No. 724,773

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an automatic selfserving butter machine, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a machine of this type that will provide the sanitary self-serving of butter in hotels, restaurants or any other establishment where butter is served.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine that can be operated by hand or by an electric motor, and is provided with a cooling unit that can be connected to any refrigerator having a thermostatic control which will maintain the desired temperature for the preserving of the butter contained therein.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists of the novel details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying dra ings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken forwardly of the central vertical axis of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view of the lower half of the device;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 'l---'! of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line 88 of Figure 2;

Figure 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Figure 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral I9 generally designates the butter cutter which, as illustrated, is constructed in accordance with the invention, having an elongated rectangular shaped hollow base portion I I, which is formed integral with the side walls and rear wall of the housing l2.

The housing I2 is provided with a semi-circular partition 13 in the forward part thereof, which forms the cooling chamber 14, the cooling being effected by a helical water cooling coil 15 arranged within the chamber l4, and provided at one end with a tap Hi.

The top of the housing I2 is provided with an opening H having a depending flange l9, and vertically positioned in the chamber l4, and resting on the bottom of the housing 12, is an elongated square shaped in cross section tube l9, which is shaped to conform to a stick of butter The tube I 9 is open at its upper end, which is in alinement with the opening I! in the housing i2, and the upper end of the tube I9 is closed by the flanged cover 2 I having a handle 22 thereon for the removal thereof.

Formed integrally with the bottom of the tube I9 is a ring gear 23 which is adapted to engage with the spur gears 24 mounted on shafts 25 and 26 respectively, which are journalled in ball bearing races 27 mounted in the housing l2, and shaft 25 has an enlarged head 28 mounted on its free end, while shaft 26 has a ratchet tooth disc 29 mounted on its free end. The disc 29 engages the ratchet teeth 39 formed on one side of the gear 3| on the axle 32, which is journalled in the bearing housing 33 on the side of the housing [2, and a coil spring 35 on the axle 32 forces the teeth 39 into engagement with the teeth on the disc 29.

The gear 3! engages a rack bar 35 which is slidably mounted in the horizontal guide Way 36 in the housing l2. Formed on the opposite end of the bar 35 in vertical depending relation thereto is an arm 3'! having an elongated slot 33 at its lower end, which engages with the stud 39 on the crank 43 secured to one end of the shaft 4!, on which is mounted the cam disc 42. The shaft ll is journalled at one end in the bearing 43 formed on the inner surface of the housing H, and a bearing support 44 secured to the bottom surface of the housing l2 supports the other end of the shaft inwardly of the crank 49. Upon rotation of the cam disc 42, it will engage the cam face 45 of the butter cutter 46, slidably mounted in the trackway 41, and provided with the forwardly extending knife or cutter 48 which has horizontal sliding movement into and out of engagement with the butter 20 in the tube 19 by means of the opening 49 in the bottom of the housing [2, and a coil spring 50 connected to the wall 5| of the circular housing 52 which is fixed to the housing l2 inwardly thereof, in vertical parallel relation therewith, and to the cutter 48, returns the cutter to normal position after the cutting operation.

The cam disc 42 is provided with a pin 53 which engages the cam faces 55 of the parallel arms 55 which are pivoted on the pin shafts 55, which are journalled in the support 5'! fixed to the bottom of the housing M, and bracket 58 on the motor supporting shelf 59 secured to the inner wall of the housing I! for supporting the motor 60. and movement of the arms 55 will, by means of the elongated slots 6! in one end thereof, engaging the pins 32 in the stem 63 of the butter server 64, slide the server downwardly in the elongated slot on the trackway (it, which is secured by means of base 61 to the housing l2. The slotted trackway 56 permits movement of the pins 62, and a pin. 68 on the end of the stem 63 engages the curved slotted trackway 59 to invert the server 64 to deposit a butter cube It into the butter dish H. As the butter server is depositing butter in the dish H, the arms 55. at their opposite ends, are engaging the pivoted keepers 12 to release a butter dish H from a stack of similar dishes in the housing and the keepers 12, which are mounted by means of the gear 3| pins 13 in the housing 52, will permit only one dish H to be fed at a time to the belt conveyor 14 carried by flanged rollers -|5,'the axles 16 of which arejournalled'in the sidewalls of the base H. One of the arms 55 is provided with an arcuate shaped depending rack bar 11, which engages the gear 18 loosely mounted on the axle 19 journalled in bearings 80 'formed in vertical parallel relation to each-other onthe inner surface of the bottom of the base I I. The gear 18 carries a spring presseddog iii' which engages the ratchet 82 fixed to the axle -19. -In its downward movement, the rack I1 freely rotating the gear 78, but'on its upward movement, the dog'8l engagesthe ratchet82 to rotate the ax1e19 to ,rotatethe gear 93 engaging the chain 84 in mesh with the gear 85 on the rear shaft IBwiil rotate the rollers'on the shafts to cause the belt! to travel over the plateflfi in a forward direction'to carry the dish?! outwardly of the housing 92 through the opening 81 formed therein. The top opening 88 in the base H permits access to the dish H, as shown inFigure 2. The operation previously described is caused by means of the gear 89 on the shaft 4i meshing with the gear 90 on the drive shaft 9! of the motor 60, which is energized by depressing the button switch 92, which is connected to a source of electric current through the plug 93, and to the motor 50 by wires 94.

During the reciprocation of the rack bar will, by means of the teeth 38 thereon, rotate the disc 29 in one direction, causing the tube l9 to rotate to bring the butter 23 into position for engagement with the knife 55 by means of the opening 49 in the tube for the severance thereof, and to permit the butter to be deposited on the'server 64. Journalled at one end in thegear 23 and at the other end in a bracket'95 formed on the tube I9, is a vertical screw '95 having the travelling support 9'! thereon to whichis fixed Within the tube IS, a square shaped follower 9B which conforms to the inner shape of 'the'tube l9. The'support '9! enters through the vertical slot99 in the tube, and the gear tube and screw revolve as a unit about the axis of the gear '23.

A gear housing 190 is formed'on the bottom 'cfthe housing l2, andis provided with an opening 19! in the top thereof, having teeth E92 formedon its periphery. Theteeth I B 2mes'h with agea'rl93 keyed to'the lower end of the screw 99, and as the gear 23 rotatesytlie gear I03 will mesh with the teeth I92, and cause rotation of the screw'96 and movement of the follower'98.

A refrigerator unit I04 that does not require the use of a compressor is mounted in'the housing [2 for the cooling of the water 'in .the coil l5.

Thedevice as described will maintain the butter in proper condition to be served. The butter tion, the operationof the device will be apparent to those 'skilled in the art, "and .it is to be understood that changes in the minor details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts may be'reso'rted to,.'pr,ovided they fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the anpended claims.

Havin'g'thus described the invention, what is claimed Gas new and desired to be secured by Letters Paten'tis; A v

1., A device {of the character described, "comfprising a housing having a compartment therein, cooling coils in said compartment, a squareshaped tube in the compartment for holding a. piece of butter therein, a "gear means on the lower end of said tube, spur gear means in said housing in engagement with said first gear means, a

second gear means in said housing parallel to and spaced from said spur gear means, rack meansengaging said second gear means, coacting ratchet teeth discs carried by said spur gear means and said second gear means respectively, whereby operation of said rack means will cause the rotation of said first gear means, a depending arm on said rack means, cutting means carried by said'housing for passage under said tube to'cut said butter, a cam face on said cutting means, a motor operated cam engageable with said cam face for the operation of said cutting means, a shaft for mounting said cam, a crank arm on said shaft, a pin onsaid crank arm engagingthe arm on said rack means'so that said cutting means and said rack means will operate in coacting relation with each other, a circular compartment in said housing at the rear thereof containing a stack of butter dishes, conveyor means in the bottom of said housing below said compartment and extending outwardly of said housing for'delivering a dish from said circular compartment under said butter, means operated by said cam for depositing said butter into said dish as it is delivered under said tube by said'conveyor means, and said conveyor means being adapted to carry said dish outwardly of said housing.

2. The invention as in claim 1 wherein'follower means isprovided in said tube in contact with said butter for forcing said butter downwardly of said tube to be cut, and said follower means is carried b a screw means carried by said first gear means.

3. The invention'as in claim'l wherein'me'ans is provided for coaction with said conveyor means for lowering one dish ata time from said stack onto said conveyor means.

4. The invention as in claim 1 whereinmeans is provided for coaction with said conveyor means and said means for delivering butter to said dish for lowering one dish at a time from said stack onto said conveyor means.

5. The invention as in claim 1 wherein spring means is carried by said housing and connected to said cutting means for returning said cutting means after it has been advanced by said cam.

6. The invention as in claim 1 wherein a tooth gear housing is provided in said first housing above said first gear means, a feed screw is carried by saidfirst gear means, and means is provided on said feed screw for coacting with said toothed gear housing and'follower means car ried by said feed screw adapted to engage said butter to force said butter downwardly in said tube during therotation of'said first gear means.

DONALD CLYDE LUTZ.

REFERENCES GITED The following references are of record in the file of this .patent:

=-UNITED STATES 1 PATENTS Number Name Date 1,159,688 Larson Nov. 9, 19I 5 1,216,624 Straight Feb. '20, 1917 1,580,498 Knox et'al Apr. *13, 1926 1,758,257 Kaskouras -May 1 1 9 0 2,250,760 'Graficyk t a1. J u1y=29, 1941 

